A/N: Well, look a here! I finally got off my semi-fat arse and wrote something for a change. Now if I would only start submitting art to my devART profile...ahem Anyway, this is my first fic. I've always wanted to do a ShikaTem cuz their my favorite het couple (most of my faves are yaoi ). I have no idea how long this one's going to be. It will probably take a while, and you can probably skip most of these author's notes because they're useless, like moi. Um...I think that's all I have to say for now. This first chapter is almost like a prologue, so please don't get bored and stop reading! It gets more exciting, I promise. And btw, the chapters alternate with Temari and Shika's p.o.v.'s. Don't get confoozled! I don't plan on labeling them "Temari" and "Shikamaru." Enjoy!

"You haven't done anything? What about that last fight? Or two? Or five?!" Now his tone of voice matched mine.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"The same excuse, over and over."

"But I-"

"No more buts," he interrupted me. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to sit down and read that brochure. After that, you're going to figure out what you're taking with you, because the semester starts next week. You're going to go to that school and like it." His demands taken care of, my father turned to leave the room. He was halfway out the door when I stopped him.

"Why are you sending me away?" I asked in a hoarse voice. I had never deluded myself by thinking that we had a normal father-daughter relationship. He was never home, and my brothers and I had gone through life taking care of ourselves. But I never thought he would be so cruel as to send me away from my home.

He stopped, not turning around. "You have been having problems with behaving yourself, and your brothers have many problems of their own. Don't worry, they're coming with you. But this is what's necessary." He walked away, down the hallway. As I collapsed in a chair, I could've sworn I heard him say, "It's for the best."

After reading the brochure, I came to the conclusion that the school was going to be absolute hell. It was too…happy. The brochure of doom advertised the wonderful location: somewhere in the mountains. I lived in the freakin' desert. It's flat. What the hell would I want with mountains?

It also broadcasted the size of the estate and the student body. The school's lands were huge, and I had no problem with that, but it also had a large student body. Lots of people lots of enemies, in my experience. I did better in small settings. So did Kankurou and Gaara. But then, my father wouldn't know this, seeing as he was always busy being somewhere far from us.

Of course, it wasn't all bad. There were a few perks, like the fact that the school was co-ed.

Thank God for that, I thought in relief. I never liked girls. They were too scared of everything and they worried about the dumbest things, like whether a dress made them look chunky. Guys, on the other hand, knew how to have fun. Hopefully I could meet some guys that I wouldn't scare too much, but also understood that I didn't want them staring at my chest all day. Kind of hard to find, though, as most guys I met just wanted to grope now, talk later.

Another good attribute of the school was the pool. Even though I lived in Suna, we had plenty of swimming pools. Don't ask why or how, because I don't know. All I know is that I love to swim.

Lastly, the brochure announced that it had groups for all interests. I snickered at that. All interests? Hmph. I wondered if they had a club for anger-prone blondes.

After finishing the brochure (twice), I heaved a sigh of resignation and decided that I had to go to the school and just make the best of it. I knew in my gut that my life was about to be miserable, but what could I do? Anyway, at least Gaara and Kankurou were coming with me. I trudged upstairs to start packing.

I sat on my bed and looked at my room. He told me to pack. But how do you stuff seventeen years of memories into a suitcase? Sure, they weren't all warm, fuzzy Kodak moments, but it was still my life.

Well, Temari, I thought to myself, your life's going in a new direction now. This is no time to get sentimental.

I sighed and headed to my closet. In a fit of despair I began throwing anything and everything into the suitcase opened on my bed. In went my clothes, hangers and all. In went toiletries, hair ties, personalized stationery, whatever I could get my hands on. After the madness left me, I looked back at the suitcase, only to find it had disappeared under a mountain of indistinguishable junk.

I groaned. Already this school had started wearing me down, and I wasn't even there yet!

Four days later, I stood with my brothers and our luggage at the train station. Our father had dropped us off with a quick goodbye and a warning: Pull any stupid stuff, and he'd have our butts for breakfast. Without milk.

As we stepped onto the train, I looked back at the village I had grown up in. I couldn't help wondering if it was the last time I would see it. Who knew where my father would ship us off to next?

I was rudely knocked out of my thoughts when Kankurou shoved me on his way to our seats.

"Last one at the seats has to buy snacks!" he yelled, giddy with excitement. I rolled my eyes.

"Could you be a little louder, Kankurou? I don't think the Hidden Mist village has heard you yet," I said sarcastically. The moron looked at me and grinned.

"Alright, then. RACE YOU TO THE SEATS!!!" he shouted at an ear-shattering volume. I gritted my teeth. Sometimes it seemed like he lived to make my life miserable. Then again, what are little brothers for?

I decided that it was time to teach Kankurou a lesson. I took him up on the bet and raced to our seats, plopping down seconds before he did. Somehow, Gaara was there before either of us. When Kankurou saw that I had beaten him, his bottom lip stuck out into a pout.

"No fair!" he complained, crossing his arms. "You cheated."

I scoffed. "Don't be immature. You're just slow, and that's all there is to it." We glared at each other for a long moment before I gave him an evil smile. "By the way, Kanky, aren't you supposed to be fetching my chips from the dining car?"

His eyes bulged as he repeatedly opened and shut his mouth, searching for something to say. He looked exactly like a fish.

Finally he looked daggers at me, muttered "Don't call me Kanky," and trudged off towards the dining car. A few of our fellow passengers who had seen the whole exchange were staring at me. I stared back until one by one they found other interesting things to look at, like the ceiling. I never understood why people either looked at the ceiling or the floor when they were caught staring at someone. Didn't they know that you can tell they're guilty when they look away?

When Kankurou returned with my chips (chock full of calories, none of that low-fat nonsense for me, thank you very much), the train was beginning to move. I had gotten the window seat, and I settled in and took out my iPod. The trip was going to be a long one, and it was a good thing I had brought my tunes. Otherwise I might have had to actually try to make friendly conversation with a stranger. Ugh.

I put my songs on Shuffle, popped a chip in my mouth and prepared for the ride. The first song to come up was "Give 'Em Hell, Kid."

Perfect.

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A/N: Okay, I know it was horribly short, but it's like a prologue, as I said before. Just for some background. I hope you liked it! And pleeeeease, pretty please with sugar, cherries, and smut on top, don't forget to review! If you don't I'll cry. Oh, and constructive criticism only. If you're not gonna tell me something that will help me, don't write mean comments. I'm sensitive XD. Love you all!

Edit: Before I get sued, I just want to say that the song "Give 'Em Hell, Kid" belongs to none other than My Chemical Romance. I'M SORRY, GERARD, MIKEY, RAY, FRANK, AND BOB!

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